Look to the Past and the Future
by Charmkeeper
Summary: What if? What if both Yuui and Fai had survived Valeria? What would Fai's life be like? Would anything in Yuui's life change? If so, what? Fai centered. Spoiler warning.
1. Chapter 1

A//N: Fai centered in this case doesn't mean our Fai/Yuui. It means the person who our Fai/Yuui got his name from. His twin.

The part shorter part in Italics and the longer part in regluar font aren't connected yet. They are different.

Enjoy and review please.

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_A bare foot reached out and touched the surface of the water in the lake. It looked like the person was testing the temperature for a bath. The water seemed to steam at the touch and the skin on the foot went red. It almost instantly blistered._

_The owner of the foot pulled it back onto dry land. The person had blond hair and blue eyes. He wore pants, a dark colored sweater and a long waterproof cloak that covered almost his entire body. No where near him were there shoes. He seemed to be out here in the middle of nowhere willingly barefoot. The young man sat on the ground looking at his foot, making sure it was okay. It was fine._

_He looked out onto the lake. It wasn't healed. Not yet._

_

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_

I sat in a far corner of the hall. My blue eyes are wide with fear, with shock. Over my blond hair, over my almost milk white skin, over my white and blue coat, over my entire body, there are spatters of bright red blood.

He approached me... "No! Stay away! Murderer!" I screamed before blood covered hands reached out and touched my face. I stared up at him, his fingers were so sticky. Not even I could have expected this.

"I won't kill you Fai...That would be too much for Yuui to live with. Even if you were supposed to die a long time ago...If I killed you now, he would kill himself before he had the chance to change the worlds..." He shook his head smiling that same smile that meant nothing. I could see the insanity behind his eyes, but I could also see the truth in them. He would not harm me...even though he had massacred everyone else currently in the castle right in front of my eyes.

"You poor Sage...you're a healer, you can't harm a fly..." He knelt in front of me. "Fai the Sorcerer, Yuui the Magician. Fai the Sage, Yuui the Mage. White and Black you are. Healer and Fighter."

I did not trust myself to say anything in reponse to what he said. So we were Sage and Mage, Healer and Fighter, we got along in this world. We covered each other...

I felt Yuui's magic signature quickly approaching the castle and my head involuntarily turned to the door. I could not stop my voice this time. Ashura wouldn't harm me...I believed that much, but what about Yuui? "Yuui! No! Go away! It's here! The beas--" Ashura's hand completely covered my mouth and nose. As I tried to breathe I could smell the foul blood on his hands.

"Be quiet. For someone who was supposed to die you are awfully loud. Aren't the dead supposed to be silent?" He'd said that since he'd brought us from Valeria. That I was supposed to be dead...but I wasn't. Neither of us had ever understood what that meant...aside from the obvious meaning. Nonetheless we had always been glad that I had in fact survived. "Quiet now. The dead don't speak. The dead don't interfere. Don't mess where you don't belong Sage. Yuui's future is what needs to be changed now. You've already screwed with it enough." He pulled his hand away from my mouth.

I did not speak. This seemed to please him. He stood to his feet and walked away from me, toward the door. Yuui...no Yuui, stay away! I wanted to scream this out as the large doors were pushed open. I did not, he might hurt me...or even worse he might hurt Yuui.

At last the doors completely slid open and Yuui ran into the castle completely unaware of the bodies that littered the floor around him at the moment. It didn't surprise me, when we were younger...Yuui had to be so used to the smell that could not reach me in the height of the tower. "Your Majesty! I will go looking for it!" Just like Yuui, such loyalty and love for anything that was good to him. "I do not care how many days it takes, I will find this beast and I will destroy it! I will protect Celes!" Go on Yuui, keep on talking with that confidence that no one else has. Such a weak confidence that depends so heavily on Ashura. You leaned so much on him, he will now crumble your beautiful nature...

"Well then Yuui, you'll have to destroy me now won't you?" I did not look at Yuui now I looked to the floor and pulled my hood over my head...I surely must look dead. I'm sorry, but I can't look up at this scene. Yuui will be so crushed. I was never anything special. I was just some healer, but Yuui...he was always everyone's favorite, including mine.

I heard something dull and solid fall. It was probably Yuui's body crumbling to the floor as he realized that his beloved King had killed everyone in the castle. "Don't worry, I let the citizen's slip through my fingers, they have all escaped to nearby kingdoms." Good. Yuui always cared so much about other people. Probably from spending so much time with the dead, it had made him so tender. It had made him so caring...

"YOUR MAJESTY!" That will do nothing Yuui...he is beyond your reach now. He is probably beyond even my healing capabilities. Kill him Yuui. It may be the only person you kill in your life, but kill him. Do not let him live for killing these people you liked so much...these people who loved you so much.

"The sleeping spell I taught you? You do know that magic fades. I will one day awaken and come for you..." I heard two things hit the floor, Yuui's light feet and Ashura's body.

There was silence for a long time. I did not look up. Yuui was probably grieving so much for Ashura right now he had forgotten about Chii. "Fai?" Yuui's voice sounded desperate. So he would come looking for me first. His feet moved, running quickly, I saw them pass in front of me. "Fai?! Fai?! Please! Don't joke like this! I can't lose you both!"

"I'm here." The running instantly stopped.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

I shook my head slightly under my hood. I didn't really know why...it was like the air had caught in my throat. "I...guess I was too much in shock..."

Yuui ran to my side instantly. I felt his hand on my shoulder and his gentle touch pulled my hood down. "He didn't harm you?" I shook my head. "Are you okay?" I shook my head. I wasn't okay. I was horrified, I was shaking in my coat, I was scared, I was not okay.

He hugged me to him, even though I was covered in blood... "I'm so sorry. I'm just glad you're okay...I don't know what I would've done if I had lost you before I had to..." He didn't finish his sentence and left me wondering as his arms stopped touching me. "Come on...we better take care of him...and you. Did he kill Chii?"

I shook my head slightly, it seemed to be almost all I could do. "I think she's still in my room..." Chii. Yuui had created her a long time ago for me. She was like a pet cat or something, except she was supposed to be like a mother to me since I had always been so more heartbroken about our parents dying than he had. He had even created her to look like our real mother did. Only she didn't act like one. Oh well it was the thought that counted. I only wondered how Yuui had made a real live being from magic.

"Okay. Good. You're going to need her..." Yuui was now seeming to speak nonsense, he wasn't making any sense at all. He just seemed to be babbling about things that seemed important to him... "You wait here. I'll go get her. Pull yourself together."

"Okay. You too..." His footsteps ran off and I was alone again. I sat there shivering as if I were freezing, but I wasn't. I was just so scared. I wasn't afraid of death per-say. I was afraid of leaving Yuui alone. I was afraid of anyone missing me...if it didn't matter I could just die. Fuck, I didn't care. All the years in that tower wishing I would just die had never left me, I would always be suicidal to a point. Only Yuui kept me from actually doing it.

I heard Yuui's footsteps. I knew that Chii was with him even though I didn't hear her. She was always silent. After all she ran around barefoot. "Are you all right now?" I wasn't, but I nodded to please Yuui. I slowly stood to my feet.

"What now?"

Fai shook his head. "We take care of Ashura's body...we'll talk about the rest after that." He was keeping something from me. I could see it in his eyes. It didn't matter, he couldn't leave and that was all that mattered. I only needed him to survive. Nothing else mattered. He could do anything but leave me alone, I would be happy with him. Even if he could leave, and did, I would still love him. I would wait for him obediently like a dog. Even if I had to be mummified while I waited.

We moved Ashura's body to the underwater burial chamber. With Chii's help we buried him in one of the many graves in the room. He was just asleep, but luckily the magic in the water made it so that he could breath. As we looked down at him I could see the many bubbles that slowly came up from the bottom of the pit as he breathed slowly in and out.

"Now what?" Yuui pulled back on his coat and looked away from me. Why was he doing that? He never did that unless it was something really bad.

"I have to leave." He didn't even have to tell me that he wouldn't be taking me with him, that was all said in his tone.

"What?!" I stood to my feet, my knees felt like they would break from the pressure I put on them keeping them much more than perfectly straight, almost seeming to try to bend them backwards. He couldn't leave me!

"You heard...I'm sorry, but I can no longer stay in this world..."

"Why not!"

Yuui's face looked to me now, smiling sadly. I couldn't tell if he wanted to leave, or if he was regreting every word he said. He was too hard to read right now. Even for me. "Ashura told me so a long time ago. He said that once this happened that I had to leave. He never said anything about what would happen to me, or what to do with you, except that you were to stay here." His expression became even more saddened as he looked at mine. "Don't give me that look. It's fate, I can feel it...the drive to leave here now...Fai, you're tearing me in two." He hugged me tightly, I couldn't think, all I could think was that he was leaving me.

"I promise I will one day come back. How does that sound? No matter how much time passes I will not die because I have to see you again. Just promise me one thing in return?"

"Anything. I'll give you anything if you come back."

"Heal him." His head gestured to the pool of water that now held Ashura's body. "Don't wake him until you are sure he's healed enough, but try to heal him for me." His hands cupped my face. "You know how I am about people..."

"I know." My eyes involuntarily avoided his. He was leaving me. The one thing I had never thought would happen was happening. He was leaving me. I sighed deeply pulling myself away from his hug and I looked to the ground. "Fate huh?"

"Yes...I can feel that I must go...even if things had been different I would leave. Hey now." He took on his usual personality and grinned. "I'm sure that one day fate will pull at you too."

"Dead people don't have fates..." My voice was barely above a whisper. I hadn't meant to say that outloud, but Ashura's words rung in my head. Dead people don't speak, they are silent, thus they must not have fates either.

"Don't be that way Fai. You're not dead, not yet. You won't die for a long time. You're a sage after all! You have a full life ahead of you. Make the most of it." I found that his words would be hard to follow seeing as he was leaving me here alone in a frozen world. There was no life to make.

"I'll try."

"Good. Now." Yuui picked up his staff. "I promise I'll keep in touch with you. So don't be so sad, I'll think of you everyday that I am gone. I'll make sure of it." He couldn't promise me that, but I didn't argue.

"Good luck." I stared at the lettering that was being written on the air now. He merely waved once more before the magic swallowed him up, it left nothing behind. Flawless magic that it was.

I bit my lip and sunk to the ground. Chii sat her hand on my shoulder in comfort, but it didn't matter.

He was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A//N: Ah yes, the beginning of a new chapter. Just take in the aroma of those fresh, unturned pages...Wait no, that's new books, sorry.

Anyway, I'm glad the idea of this story seemed to go over pretty well. If you look at any one of my stories you can tell I'm obsessed with the idea of Fai and Yuui...as well as other things. Moving on, enjoy the chapter and if you like, review for me.

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_The tall blond ran through the halls of the building. "Please! Move!" His barefeet could be heard slapping against the cold floor as he went. He skidded to a halt and went into a room, pulling his cloak off and picking up a pair of shoes, pulling them hurridly onto his feet before leaving the room quickly._

_The blond stopped a person walking past, "Where is the one who came back a few mintues ago?"_

_"Upstairs. He's waiting for you."_

_He took in a deep breath letting the person go. "Thank you." He bowed and ran again. This time instead of slapping there was a clacking of boots. The man upstairs needed his help.__

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_

"Good luck." I spat the words out as I sat up in bed. I remembered them being the last words I had said to Yuui as he left. Such stupid words to say to him. To us, from us. The twins of misfortuine. Good luck. Those were probably the worst words I could have possibly said.

It had been days, probably a couple weeks since he had left. I hadn't bothered to keep track of time. Yet it had only registered a few seconds ago how stupid those words were. I had probably cursed him to die or something with just those two simple words. People had died from less.

I stood to my feet. I eyeballed my sage's staff that sat in the corner...I decided I didn't need it today. I took in a deep breath and reached into my closet pulling out whatever would be the thing that I would wear that day. My black and blue ritual gown. Oh well, it wasn't like we did rituals anymore.

I pulled it on and fixed the cuffs before going to the door and opening it. "Ack!" I put my hand over my mouth and took a step back as I unexpectedly came face to face with Chii. My hand went from my mouth to my chest, placing it over my heart as I tried to steady myself. I had come to know that Chii and I were alone in this kingdom now. I had come to get used to the fact that there would never be anyone there. As such to open my door and find someone staring at me was quite a shock. "Chii, you scared me half to death."

Chii frowned. "If Fai okay? I'm glad it was only half to death and not all to death."

I took in a deep breath and finally found myself stable again. "It's okay Chii...but please, in the future try to not scare me at all to death..." The girl nodded and I slowly let out my puff of air and sat my hand on her shoulder. I turned her around and began to walk down the stairs that led to another part of the castle. Even though there was no one here Chii and I were quite busy right now. In my mind we were trying to make the kingdom look like a glass figurine. So that thousands of years from now people would come here and discover it to be perfect.

It kept me busy.

"Where are we going first Fai? To eat breakfast?"

I shook my head no. "No, down to the burial chambers. Ashura needs his healing."

At a time like this I could just see Yuui smiling down at Chii and comforting her. Unlike Yuui I have never learned to smile so beautifully. Yuui for a long time was exactly the same as me, unable to smile at all. Then he discovered people, people who liked it when he smiled. He wanted to please these people so he learned to smile and once he did he never stopped. No one ever wanted me to smile, so while I learned how, I don't bother. If no one is going to be happy when I smile. If no one cares, there's no point. It's only wasted effort.

Maybe it would be easier than I thought to be alone...Yuui was the one who people loved, not me. Wasn't I alone all along?

"But...didn't Fai say that he didn't think Ashura was able to be healed?"

I took in a deep breath and nodded, "Yes Chii, I did say that. I still believe that too. However, I promised Yuui that I would try. When I try, I try my hardest, because that is the only thing that makes it worthwhile. It's the only thing that I live for. Currently to heal our king is what my life is worth."

"Is Fai sad?"

I shook my head, "No, I just know my place. I am not...important. That is the simplest way of putting it."

"I see..." I turned and gently stroked Chii's hair to comfort her. It was the only thing I could do.

"Don't worry about it. Chii isn't like me. You are important. Yuui created you. Nothing could possibly be more important than you." This made Chii smile before I gently pulled my hand away and opened the door. We walked in and I circled around the graves until I got to his. The small bubbles created by his breathing floated to the surface and I looked at his face seriously. It looked so peaceful...like he was sleeping normally. Not a magical sleep...

I shook my head and stood straight. I raised my hand and began to write. Like Yuui, lettering came from my fingers, but unlike Yuui it was golden in color. I was so used to the gliding feeling of the magic I used. For so long in that tower I hadn't been able to use something that was so much a part of me...

Something seemed to bang on the inside of my skull and my hand instantly dropped away from the spell. I heard the magic spalsh against the water as the imcomplete spell collasped. I put my hands to my head as it continued to bang more and more, harder and harder, as if it were trying to escape. It felt like agony. "Fai?! Lower your sheild! Someone's sending you something!" I gripped my hair harder trying to comprehend Chii's words. Once they sunk in it made sense...I had a mental barrier up against my mind, someone was trying to talk with me. It clashed with my mind sheild making it hurt, the pain was a warning, a warning I no longer needed.

I was so glad Chii could sense what was wrong.

"R-right..." I breathed out forcing one hand off my head and writing a small spell as quickly as I could. The pain stopped. Instead a message entered my mind. I knew the voice to be Yuui's.

_"Fai._

_"How are you? I hope you're doing all right there without me. I'm doing okay. I'm afraid I can't contact you very often, but I promise to tell you if anything major happens._

_"The reason I can't contact you often is because as a price for traveling as I am I had to pay my markings. Thus I can't possibly carry out Ashura's wishes and use magic. At all. I'm already risking it by sending you this._

_"Remember before I left I promised I'd think of you everyday? I've assured that I will think of you every second of everyday. I did this by telling everyone that my name was Fai. The name doesn't really suit me, but everytime I hear it I pause to think of you. It also reminds me that one day I must come to see you again._

_"Wait for me Fai. When the day comes I will give you back your name. _

_"I promise next time I will take you with me._

_"Good luck to you too."_

The message ended. I took in a deep breath slowly letting it out as I set my head on the edge of the grave. I replayed the message in my mind over and over, thinking about every word. The fact he had taken my name did not bother me. The fact he had returned the words of 'good luck' didn't bother me. In fact only one thing in the entire message bothered me.

My hands drifted down from my head down to my back. His markings...she had taken them. I ran ran my fingers over the memorized pattern of my own markings. At least the parts I could reach.

My markings were different than Yuui's. By looking us over it was the only way you could tell that we weren't clones. His markings kept his powers at the same level. My markings increased my power and made my life extend. Yuui was a mage. His powers grew and someday they may grow out of control. He could hurt people. I was different. I was a healer. A sage. Sage's often died so young because when we heal we give out our power and some of our own life to heal the wound. Ashura had given me these markings so that I would not die until about the same time Yuui would. Assuming we both died of natural causes of course.

Now Fai had to either not use his magic or risk losing control. I didn't like it.

I gripped to my hair again when the throbing from before became ten times worse suddenly. It was like it had a grudge against me. It wouldn't have surprised me if it had. "Is Fai all right?"

I was still for a minute after the question was asked. The pain of the intrusion and the message just playing over and over in my head preventing me from doing anything. It had built up a lot of unwanted magical pressure inside my head. There was only one thing to do to get rid of it. After a long minute I sat on the ground and banged my head as hard as I could off the stone wall that separated the floor from the graves. "Fai!"

For a moment everything wavered before I felt a bit better despite what I had just done. "I'm fine Chii...I just needed to release some of the pressure...If I pass out I'm fine..."

"Fai you're bleeding!"

"Am I?" I lifted my head a bit and dabbed at my forehead with my fingers. Sure enough, when I brought my fingers back down they were stained with red. "It's not a problem... I heal quickly." Even though the shock to my head had almost gotten rid of all the pressure, the back of my head still felt like it wanted to just cave in. The spot where I had just almost spilt my skull open started to throb slightly.

I was thankful for the word from Yuui, but it had taken everything out of me. A note to myself: Never ever put up a mind shield again. They hurt.

I stood to my feet. Blood dripped off my head and fell onto my black and blue gown. I put my hand over the wound, I'd heal it when I could make fully coherent thoughts... "Chii?"

"Yes Fai?"

"I'm going back to bed...watch over things here."

"Is Fai all right?"

I shook my head no. I really didn't feel all right anymore. I felt like I had contracted some kind of virus that would not stop eating my brain. "I need some rest...but I'll be okay after that...don't worry. Stay here." Chii slowly nodded. The worry her innocent face held was so obvious it would probably make any person other than me cry. As I walked past her I scritched her head with my free hand before I went on up the stairs.

When I came to my room I went inside and just flopped on my bed, not caring that the pillow would get stained, not caring that I was still wearing my day clothes. All I cared about was closing my eyes and making this dull throbbing go away. I didn't like the throbbing, but it was worth it...to hear Yuui's voice again...

Slowly I felt my eyes close and sleep overtake me...

"Fai!" I awoke to Chii shaking me quite violently. Much more violently than I had ever imagined her capable of. "Fai wake up!"

I turned over and looked at her. "What's wrong?" Chii just shook her head and pulled at me, drawing me to my feet. "All right...I'm coming..." I was still pulled. She pulled me from my room and we almost fell as she rushed desperately down the stairs.

My head felt almost completely better, but even though my head was now clear enough to think I couldn't possibly guess what was troubling Chii to the point of doing this. I couldn't imagine anything troubling her, she was so carefree unless someone was injured or sad...

"This doesn't seem right!" Chii pushed open the door to the burial chamber and I stared inside. My hand went to my forehead rubbing it as if to make sure what I saw wasn't a dream or an illusion a concusion caused by my hitting my head. It was real. Chii was right. It wasn't right, it wasn't supposed to happen for many, many months...

"Hello Fai. Where is Yuui?" Ashura was awake.

"Fai. Where is Yuui?" He repeated his question as I stood dumbfounded. I could not possibly think of why he was awake so early. Slowly I took a step back. My boot clacked against the stone that made up the ground. I shook my head. My hands pushed Chii behind me as if to protect her from whatever Ashura would try next. "So he's not here?" I shook my head again. My gaze kept his. We looked at each other. I glared. He smiled.

"In another kingdom? Or another world?" I didn't answer. He sighed. "Fai, I told you before, I'm not going to kill you. Answer me. The three of us are here all alone, what's the point in giving me a cold shoulder? We're all waiting for the same thing. We're all waiting for Yuui to return."

"Another world."

Ashura smiled again. "Good. He always was a good child, doing what he was told. Very different from you Fai, don't you think?" He seemed to watch my every movement as I nodded in agreement. He came forward now, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and giving me a one-armed hug. "You must be wondering why I'm awake...I can see it written across your forehead." He laughed and poked it, not hard enough to harm the scab that had formed, but enough to move my head back a bit.

"Yes...I actually wouldn't be surprised if it really was written there...why are you awake?"

"Your magic and Yuui's magic has always contrasted..." Ashura began to walk out of the burial room now, taking me along with him. "As you continued to use your worthless healing spells your magic caused his sleeping spell to weaken until I was able to wake up." He smiled and rubbed my shoulder with his hands.

"So what are you going to do now that you're awake?" I prayed to the higher beings that he wasn't going to try to search for Yuui...

"I'm going to wait. Just like you Fai."

"What are you waiting for?" He might lie to me...that was fine. As long as I thought I wasn't ignorant I could live with it. To me that feeling of ignorance is the worst thing in the world. It feels like I'm even more worthless than I already know I am...I'd rather be lied to than feel or know I'm ignorant of why.

"Him to fulfill his promise."

"Which is?"

"Something you could never do. Don't worry about it." He placed his hand on top of my head as he opened the doors to the dining room. "Chii. Be a dear and go get us some food. I'm starving." Chii looked to me and I slowly nodded in agreement to what he said before she ran off.

"How long will we have to wait for him?"

"I don't know Fai. A long time." Ashura sat down in one of the many chairs in the dining room. When he motioned for me I sat next to him. "At least we won't be completely alone. Right?" He was humoring me. I could see it in his eyes. In return I humored him by nodding.

I hoped we wouldn't have to wait too long. It might kill me.


	3. Chapter 3

A//N: Halfway point! Yes, this is going to be a short multi-chapter story. Six chapters long...I think the next two chapters after this are going to be very short... not like 100 words short, but shorter than the medium length chapters I've done so far. I don't know, we'll have to see what happens.

I know it seems like the story is going fast, but it's supposed to seem that way. Fai's story here takes place over a span of what I'm thinking is about twenty years, but all his problems all come in little groups...like grapes.

For those of you that are wondering: The part in italics will remain disconnected from the main story until the sixth and final chapter, but these parts are very important. They aren't random.

Anyway, enjoy and review.

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_"Don't you think you should slow down? It's not as if everything will fall apart if you aren't moving constantly."_

_The blond looked back at the man who stood behind him now. He had fair hair that fell in front of one eye. He smiled at him shaking his head. "Don't worry about me. I'm very happy to be so busy."_

_"You might be hurt. Especially since you're barefoot again..."_

_The other shrugged, wrapping his waterproof cloak tighter around him so his feet weren't visible. "That's fine by me." There was a long pause between them before the fair haired man sighed and waved the blond off with one hand. As soon as this signal was seen the blond ran off at top speeds out of the building and out into the field of work. He couldn't be still. If he was still he might miss something important._

_Blue eyes flashed as he ran past other people trying to catch up with a small group up ahead. He didn't want to miss anything, important or not.

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_

It's been years. Ashura, Chii, and I have been waiting for him for years. It's a boring life. The days all blend together. So much that I no longer know how old I am, or how long we've been waiting.

Every once in a while I go out into the empty kingdom and I walk around it, ruining the perfectness of it all. It's not much, all I do is make footprints in the perfect snow layers, but for a while it makes it look like people actually live there as I look down at it from Castle Ruval. It makes it look like other people had been out chopping wood or going to market or something. It makes it look alive.

About as often as I go out into the kingdom I get messages from Yuui. They often say something about some weird world, or about a desert princess, or something about various kinds of 'Kuro'...whatever a 'Kuro' is.

Every time he contacts me he says he'll be home soon, but he never is. I don't know how long it's been since he left to him, but it seems like forever to us.

I turned away from the outlook over the kingdom. The wind was blowing hard, a storm would be coming soon. I pulled my coat tighter around me. "Is Fai cold?" I shook my head at Chii.

"Where is Ashura?"

"In the library."

"Thank you." Ashura is slowly getting worse. He doesn't think we can notice. He hides it, he has no reason to be getting worse, there is no one for him to kill. He's already said he won't kill me or Chii, so there is no point. Even though this is so I know it can't be avoided. I'm a sage and I can't do anything to help him. In all these years I haven't become any less worthless.

I sighed turning and leaning against a wall about halfway down to the library. I folded my arms against my chest and looked to the ceiling. I wish something would change...heck I'd be happy with meal change. I'm so bored.

I twinged, no splitting headache, but I knew Yuui was sending me something. A change, even if it was only a few seconds of change it would ease my mind for at least a week. Or so I thought until I heard the message. _"Fai. There will be no more messages. Things have changed. I'm sorry." _His voice sounded so horrible! My eyes opened and I felt like crying. It hadn't even sunk in that I wouldn't hear from him anymore, just the very tone of his voice. He was in pain!

I cried. For the first time ever I cried. A sob escaped my lips as my tears fell off my face like small gems. I didn't even know how he was hurt, what he had done to get hurt, why he was hurt. I didn't know anything, I wasn't even sure if he was hurt, but I was crying for him as if I was by his side watching him suffer... "Fai?!"

I looked to Chii as she came up to me, "Fai, what's wrong?"

"N-n-nothing." I stood straight and wiped my face dry. "I'm sorry to worry you..." As was normal I did not smile, but I reached out and patted her head. "Don't worry."

That being said and done I turned away from her heading down to the library again. Ashura would want to know about this. Chii would want to know too, but she's so innocent even I cannot harm her like that. "Fai." Ashura turned to me and shut the book that he was reading for what had to be the twenty-fifth time at least. "Did something happen? You seem oddly uncomfortable."

"I just got a message from Yuui."

"Those usually make you happy...what did he say?" I quickly repeated the message to Ashura and his frown deepened. "Something must've happened...I'm sure he'll contact again."

"That's not what I'm worried about..." I hugged myself around my slender waist. Shaking my head. Tears did not tug past my eyes again, but I was worried still. "He sounded like he was in so much pain..."

"Are you upset because you can't do anything?" I nodded. "I keep telling you, you aren't here to change anything, you're not even supposed to be here. There was nothing you could do even if you were there."

"I know!" I yelled at him and he looked at me with a surprised face. It was the first time I have ever yelled at him for saying what I should and should not be. "I know, I'm supposed to be dead somewhere. I don't care, being here and not being dead makes it so that I am alive. And being alive means I'm here waiting. It means I'm here worrying! Nothing that I am supposed to be will change that. Understand?!"

I felt something connect with my face, it hit me with enough force to turn my head to the side. I stood there with wide eyes and I put my hand to my cheek. A dull throbbing set in as it began to sting. "Don't talk back to me. I know you're suffering. We all are. You're not special."

"I know that too." I glared up at him letting my hand slid away from my face, he hadn't put much strength behind it. It had merely been a warning.

"Good. You can tell me more later." He walked past me and I stared at him as he closed the library. For a long minute I just stared at the closed door. He had never hit me before. No matter how much I had back-talked, yelled, or protested about something, he had never touched me in anything but a loving way.

He was getting worse.

* * *

"Chii. Don't come out of the room." 

"Why Fai?"

"It's dangerous."

Chii frowned. "Dangerous? Chii doesn't understand."

I turned around and patted her head. "Ashura is becoming dangerous Chii. I can't risk you being in front of him." Today I wore commoners clothes. A short cape that came only to my elbows lay around my shoulders. I even wore an uncommon item of clothing even for men in this world. Pants. I wanted to wear something that was very simple to move in today. Today was a hard day, I wanted something about it to be easy.

"Will Fai be okay?"

For once in my life I smiled. No matter what else changed Chii would always be sweet. "I'm a sage. Even if he harms me I can be healed. Besides, I'm not important."

Chii shook her head and grabbed onto my arm, "Fai keeps saying that! 'Fai's not important.' Fai is important!" I saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "Fai is important! Fai is the one who's taken care of us for all these years! Fai tries so hard..." I put my hand over her mouth. I couldn't bear to hear any more.

"Ashura says that the dead aren't important." I kissed her forehead and removed my hand from her mouth.

"Chii doesn't understand."

"I don't either, but it's true. I'm supposed to be dead. Thus, I am not important. That is what I know. Go lay on my bed. I'll come back soon and we'll take a walk." Chii nodded sadly and I let her go. I turned down the stairs. I had to take care of this somehow. I knew what Yuui had told me, he had wanted me to heal him, but I couldn't. There was no way I could fulfill his wish.

I pushed open the door to dining hall. Ashura turned and frowned when he saw me alone. "Where's Chii?"

"I told her to stay upstairs today."

Ashura smiled. "So...you've gotten wise Fai. I suppose I should have suspected as much from a talented Sage such as yourself. Especially about such matters. So. How are you going to do this?"

"Do what?"

"Kill me."

"I'm a Sage. A healer. I cannot kill."

"Not with magic no, but even you can hold a knife in your hand. Pour poison into a drink."

"By oath I have vowed to never kill."

"Vows? You seriously keep those oaths that you took when you mastered healing? There's no one here to enforce those oaths Fai!" Ashura laughed. "You are such a kid. A wise kid, but a kid. To think that rules were meant to be followed..." He came forward and took my hands in his. I felt him press something into my palms. When I looked in my hands a dagger lay there. "Three days. I give you three days to kill me before I will try to kill you and Chii. Self defense right? Protection of the innocent? Those don't go against your oaths. Make me proud. Make Yuui proud."

Was that possible? To make people proud of me? This wouldn't make Yuui proud, after all he had wanted me to heal him, not kill him. How could killing him make Ashura proud of me? Chii would just cry. There was no one else. No one would be proud of me if I went against my oaths and killed this man...no one.

For a long time I stood there staring at the knife I held in my hand. I felt like I didn't know what to do with it. I felt like it should disappear or move on it's own. I stared at it waiting for it to do one of these things. It didn't. I sat there until my legs were numb, but still it did not move.

* * *

I had three days. I have twelve hours. Mind you, this isn't for lack of trying either. At first I have been contemplating the idea of just giving him poison in his drink, but I decided against it in the end. He'd given me this knife. He wanted to be killed by this weapon I now kept by my side. Who was I to deny him his wish? 

I'd tried in various ways, from behind, frontal attack, from above even. None of these had worked. They had ended very badly for me. Despite my healing skills Chii was starting to ask about the bruises my body now supports. I never was meant to hurt someone. My body didn't go along with it, in fact my body revolted against me when I tried. As such, I knew killing someone would be one of the harder endeavors I'd ever taken on, but I didn't think it would be quite as hard as it was.

Going through my options I only had one option left. I had to kill him in his sleep. It was such a lowly idea that at first I had slapped myself for thinking it, but now there was no choice. I did not mind endangering myself, that was a simple task, but Chii... I could not do that to Chii. Yes, she was only a person created by Yuui's complex magic, but she was still a person...

I reached out my fingers lightly massaging Chii's animal-like ear as she slept. The girl shifted and then turned over, the light blue light my sage's staff gave off refracting off her hair.

It was late. Outside the window a blizzard blew. I could hardly see it from the darkness that filled almost every corner of my room, but thanks to my staff I could just barely see it.

I needed to get up. I needed to get this over with. I knew this, I told myself this, trying to move my legs off the bed, but they wouldn't move. My head wouldn't turn. My entire being was against this. I didn't blame my body for this, after all my mind was against it too. The only difference between my mind and my body was that my mind knew it had to be done. I had to move.

It took a good half hour, but finally my mind convinced my body that it could move and I finally got off the bed. I silently crept to the door and got out shutting it behind me. Chii didn't wake up.

I moved very slowly down the hall. I was afraid to breathe. I don't know how long it was before I got to the door that led into Ashura's room. My fingers barely touched the door as I ever so carefully pushed it open.

I came into the room. I could have sworn my shivering was loud enough to wake him. My tiptoes were silent, but not silent as I approached the bed. I took in a long rigid breath before I held it inside my lungs. My shaking hands went to my side and the long fingers pulled the dagger from it sheath. It made a sound. I held my breath as I waited for his eyes to snap open from that. They did not.

For a time my body was unresponsive again. I stood there very still, one hand holding the dagger, the other holding it's shield. I was glad my fingers gripped so tightly to both of them that they did not fall from my hands. The sound of them clattering to the floor would surely wake him, more than any other sound I had made so far.

I could move. I swung my hand up and brought it down as fast as I could, but it wasn't fast enough, my body stopped again. This time it wasn't just my healer's body saying no, it was my healer's mind saying no as well. I couldn't do this! I couldn't just take his life because he wanted it. I couldn't do this just because he had threatened to hurt Chii and I if I didn't! It was wrong!

I was about to pull my hand away from him. I was about to put the knife away and walk back to my room a coward. It didn't happen. Something gripped to my wrist. What? I looked to Ashura's face, his eyes were wide open.

I looked back to my hand and I realized that it was his hand holding me. "Good night Fai." His voice was utterly smooth as his grip tightened and he moved my hand. I had been sure he was going to turn the knife into my own body. I watched as he moved my hand up away from him, this was it, he was going to finally kill me...

He forced my hand down at high speeds, not into me...but into himself. It went right into his chest. There was resistance, my hand still holding the knife could feel it, but the sharp blade easily got past that. It sunk into his chest. The sound was horrible! My eyes widened and I put my hand to my mouth as I was positive I was going to throw up.

The smell of blood reached my nostrils and made me want to vomit even more at the very thought of knowing that I had caused this blood. It was my fault.

A hand that was not my own touched my face. "This is the right thing Fai..." His voice was still just as smooth even though this had to be excruciating pain. "Originally, I wanted Yuui to kill me, if you had died, it would have helped him. But now I know for sure, it was better for you to kill me. This will make you grow." He pulled at my golden hair gently pulling my head down to his mouth. "You're not dead anymore Fai." He whispered this into my ear. "Soon, fate will come for you."

He let go. He let go of my hair, he let go of my wrist. I pulled back. His eyes were still, his muscles unmoving, he didn't breathe, I could tell just from a mere glance that Ashura was dead.

I had killed him.


	4. Chapter 4

A//N: Climax of the story. I'm sure it'll leave you hating me for a week until I post the next chapter...unless of course you don't care what happens...

Read and Review.

* * *

_Rain. It fell against the building and the land outside. It sunk into the ground, making it wet, eroding at stone and other material. It seemed to go on forever. As far as any eye could see there were rain clouds. They never seemed to go away._

_The young blond man opened the window in the room and stuck his head out it. Droplets hit against his nose, and his face contorted slightly in displeasure. He wrinkled his nose and shook the drops away as he reached into the pocket within the khaki slacks he wore. He pulled his head back inside the building._

_From within the pocket he pulled out a small satchel. He placed it in the palm of his hand, staring at it for a minute or so. The look on his face was questioning, as if he debated with himself as to whether or not he should use what was inside the satchel._

_At last he made his decision. The blond pulled it open and poured it's contents into his other palm. It was a lavender colored dust. It sparkled and glittered. He smiled at it. _

_The man leaned forward ever so slightly before he blew the dust from his palm out the window. Instead of becoming drenched the dust flew as if a constant dry wind carried it. For ten minutes a small lavender cloud was still visible in the distance until it finally dispersed and disappeared._

_"Ahhh." The blond's voice was satisfied and contented as he pulled the window closed. Long fingers pressed against the glass as he still continued to watch._

_Rain.

* * *

_

I stayed in that room for a very long time. Days I think. I could not bring myself to move from that room. All I could think was that I had killed him. My mind and body rejected the idea fully. I went through several stages. I shook, I denied, I tried to wake myself up, I did many many things within that room where Ashura lay dead and I stood partially insane.

At last I came to acceptance. It wasn't a pleasant acceptance. It wasn't a acceptance where I would just walk away and go on without another thought, but I would be able to live with it. I had to.

Before I left the room I spun around and tore the dagger from Ashura's body. It didn't seem right to just leave the blade there. I knew that it had to be rusted by now. After all, it'd been sitting in a body for days, and bodies have water in them which makes rust... It didn't. I watched as all the fluid that was on the dagger just dripped off. It left no rust behind. In fact it didn't leave anything behind.

Was it a magical or mystical blade? Did it have a name? It didn't look like it...

Purely as a device of getting my mind off Ashura and to satisfy my own curiosity I slipped out of the room and began to scour over the dragger itself and it's sheath. At last I found a name engraved on the very top of the blade. "Iiraina." The name slipped off my tongue as naturally as my own name.

Was it really magical? It didn't seem like something that would be charmed with magic or possess a soul within it. I could sense no magic from it, yet nothing seemed to tarnish it. The closer I looked the more I saw...or rather didn't see. No dirt, no fingerprints or smudges. Lack of rust was easy to explain, it wasn't made of iron, but a lack of fingerprints and smudges? There was nothing that did that except acid, and the dagger was obviously not made of acid.

I slipped the knife back into it's holder, placing it at my side once more. Perhaps later I would try to find it within the records. Maybe it was there, maybe it wasn't. I couldn't know until I looked.

Anything. I would do anything to get my mind off this.

* * *

A light smile traced my lips. "Chii. Come with me please." The smiled faded almost as quickly as it came, but I was trying, I was trying so that Chii didn't cry. She did not cry when she learned Ashura was dead...no, she had cried when she had realized how much it had broken me. Other than waiting here for Yuui, Chii was all I had left, I could not let her cry. I could not. 

Chii smiled brightly and nodded vigorously. "Of course Fai! Where are we going?"

"Out into the kingdom."

"To destroy how perfect it is?" I nodded. "Then Fai will need his coats!" I watched from my spot on the bed as Chii looked around my closet for my layered coats. I wore the tailed coat and pants already. I remembered that both Yuui and I had worn these on the day he had left...I used to wear it a lot, but now I only wore it when we went out, otherwise it was just a hassle to get on. I much preferred my various sets of robes...

"Here!" I thanked Chii as I pulled on the blue undercoat and then the white overcoat. It felt so heavy, but I knew that I would get used to it quickly so I did not mention it.

"Let's go." I turned to her as I put Iiraina into my pocket. I didn't go anywhere without the blade anymore, I had somehow grown attached to it...

"Right!" Chii latched herself onto my arm and began to pull as if I did not want to go. "How does Fai feel today?"

"Fai feels like Fai."

"Fai knows what I mean..."

"A little better than yesterday. It gets better every day Chii."

"So Fai will be okay?"

"One day Fai will be okay." She grinned at this knowledge and pulled more on my arm leading me down the stairs and into the main hall. We carefully walked across the main entryway and I opened the doors. All the kingdom of Celes sat in front of us. It's perfection staring up at us just begging to be ruined completely for a day or so. It would be the highlight of my week, if not my month. Or it would have been.

I felt something. "Chii."

"Yes Fai?"

"Go on ahead. Go have fun in the snow. Don't wait up for me, I'll catch up."

Chii frowned. "Is something wrong Fai?"

I paused. After this pause I decided to tell her the truth. "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. Go on. Have fun."

She seemed hesitant at first, her feet dragging along the snow covered ground as she walked until I yelled. "That is not having fun in the snow!" Chii went faster then, skipping and smiling as she went out into the valley.

I closed the doors. Not only did I close the doors, I locked them. I had not locked these doors since before Yuui had left, there was no one to break in, there was no need to lock them. I locked them now, but not to keep Chii or anyone else out. I locked them to keep someone in.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" I pulled Iiraina from it's sheath and gripped it tightly to my side. I knew that if my condition of being a healer kicked in, it would do me no good to have Iiraina, but a little protection against a possible threat was better than none at all.

"Who are you?!" I yelled down into the depths of Castle Ruval when no answer came to the first yells. No answer came to the second yell either. All I could do was wait.

Slowly it came. At first I could not tell what gender it was even, then as it got closer and closer to the bottom of the stairs I could tell. It was a boy. Fourteen or fifteen at the most. He had a magic that seemed awfully familiar, but I could not keep my mind concentrated on it enough to tell where I had felt this magic from before. He wore black, lots of black, but his clothes were unsuitable for this climate, no sleeves, and no shoes. Even I made Chii wear shoes when she left the castle. He was thin, tall, but not done growing. He had short brown hair that stuck up in spiky tufts. His eyes were what drew me in most though. One was an amber brown. The other was a sapphire blue. Although they were two different colors, they both stared at me with a cold emptiness. I could already tell that this was a clone.

When he finally got to the bottom of the stairs I spoke again at last. "Who are you? Where is your master?" Clones like he shouldn't be out and about alone...

Still he said nothing. He only stared at me with his emotionless eyes. Perhaps...yes silly me, he obviously could not speak my language, after all he had to have come from another world. I raised two fingers into the air and illuminated symbols came off of them, going around and around until the spell completed. "There." I put my hand down to my side again. "Now we should be able to understand each other."

"Yes." His tone was just as emotionless as eyes. His head tilted to one side slightly.

"Where is your master?"

"Watching. I have orders. You are in the way."

I frowned. "Excuse me? In the way? In the way of wh--" I made a sound of something between squeaking and choking as I felt something collide with my stomach and knock me back against the door. Okay, definitely a good thing I sent Chii out... I felt his hand to my neck and he banged the back of my head against the stone of the door, as if trying to knock me out. If that was the case it didn't work.

"I wonder..."

"You wonder what?"

My eyes snapped open very wide as I felt his fingers to the place where my eye socket began, "I wonder if I should take it...even if it is different magic than the other's. You look alike, but you are not alike...pity." It took a moment, but it sunk in. His blue eye was not natural, the magic that felt so familiar was Yuui's magic. He had gouged out Yuui's eye and then...ate it! He ate it and got my brother's magic!

"You monster..." I growled out as loudly as I could with his hand against my windpipe. I thrust my hand forward, he leaped away from me avoiding Iiraina's blow. "Give it back!" This was the person who had caused him all that pain back then! Who knew how many other people he'd caused pain since then!

"You really are in the way. He didn't give this kind of fight."

"Yeah?" I held the dagger out in front of me. "Well you said it yourself; we're look alike, but we're not alike."

"Then I must eliminate you." I knew this meant that I'd be keeping both my eyes, eliminate meant kill, kill meant my magic would die, thus no point in gouging out my eye first…

From seemingly out of nowhere he pulled a sword and dashed at me with it. I dodged, he tried again…on and on this went. I seemed to be just fast enough to avoid his blows. Every once in a while I would try to slash at him with Iiraina, but all those attempts failed. Let's face it, he had a sword and I had a mere dagger…

"Give it up. You can't dodge forever."

"You can't fight forever." Well this could very well be an incorrect statement…while he was right, I was tiring, he was not.

We continued, blows back and forth even though it was clearly one-sided. I knew the only reason I had even lasted this long was because of the rage and adrenaline that had filled me from learning what had caused Yuui so much pain. I was still after that, I wanted to get Yuui's eye back, I wanted to be of use for once! This was not the only thing that kept me going now though, Chii…I had to end this before Chii got worried and came back. This madman might go after her as well.

I slashed more, trying to get some leverage over him, I succeeded little. The most I got out of my efforts was a cut on his arm…

At last it seemed he had me, I was trapped in a corner like a mouse. He brought the sword high above my head. I closed my eyes. I did not fear death…I had wanted it so many times before…but the blow did not come. "What?"

I opened my eyes, his voice was of course far from surprised for he could not contain emotion, but still, what had happened? I had blocked the blow with Iiraina, but that was not possible. I had not lifted my hand.

My body seemed to move on it's own now, slashing at him to get him away from me. It seemed to me like all I was doing was staring in awe, but I was not just doing that. I was doing more…but I had no such skill!

Why hadn't my healer's body…as soon as the word healer entered my mind my body stopped. I hated this man, I hated him with all my heart even though I did not even know his name, but I hated him, more than anything else. Yet I was a healer, come too close to hurting a person and I have to stop to think.

This stop was only a mere second long, but it was long enough. I felt it. The blade pass through my stomach all the way to the other side. I choked, it hurt to breathe. I almost let go of my own blade, but I managed to hold on… A very small noise escaped my lips as he pulled the sword back out…

"You're a healer…" I only nodded to the question very faintly as I fell to the ground in a heap. "We can't risk you healing yourself." He raised his two fingers and I felt magic coming from them. Yuui's magic. Sealing…he was sealing my magic away… "It's temporary, not that you'll live to have magic again."

He was right. I feel that the spell was weak. Just long enough for me to die… "What are you after?" I breathed out trying to concentrate on anything but the pain.

"The feathers. I must get them back no matter what." The feathers? It didn't make sense to me. I reached out my free hand as if to grab his ankle as he walked away, but he was out arms reach. I failed. I failed at everything. I failed at my fate, I failed at healing Ashura, I failed at waiting for Yuui to come back. I didn't deserve to live…

I just kept on thinking this as pain overcame me and my entire world went black.


	5. Chapter 5

A//N: Well this is the last chapter of the main story...then is the prolouge and we're through with the whole thing entirely. Woah. It feels like I only started this story yesterday...

Well: Read. Enjoy. Review. Thank you.

* * *

_"Well? How do you feel?" The young blond man looked up from where he sat. On all accounts it looked like a normal scene. Two people in a room, talking to one another. The question itself sounded normal._

_"How am I supposed to feel?"_

_"You tell me."_

_A smile crept over the blond's features as he looked up. "I feel pretty damn good all things considered."_

_The other man laughed coming forward and patting the blond on the shoulder. "Good to hear. What are your orders?"_

_"It's safe. Start the cleanup. I want three groups to start nearby, as time passes we'll spread out."_

_The other man nodded, going to the door. "Understood. You keep surveying the area. We want daily reports."_

_The blond nodded. "Easier done than said." The man left the room completely now. The blond's smile did not fade, if anything it grew into a grin. All their work had led up to that moment. It would only get better from here._

_

* * *

_

My eyes opened slightly, but they almost instantly shut again as my body shuttered from the pain I was in. I couldn't be dead. If I was dead there wouldn't be this earthly pain...The second option was that I was close to dead on the floor in Celes. This was wrong as well. I was still laying on my stomach, but it was too warm to be anywhere in Celes... "Where am I?"

There was a small chuckle from beside me. "In the land of pain and suffering."

Sarcasm. Just what I needed. "Shut up, I know that." I groaned as I turned my head to try and look at this person I failed at this point, I couldn't force my eyes open. "But where am I? Other than the land of pain and suffering?"

"Not exactly sure...the last name I heard was Edonis. I'm not sure if that was a person or the land we're in..."

"Fine, good enough for me." I groaned again, my hands itched to go to my stomach. "Am I dying? Dead?"

"Recovering. Boy, were you lucky I got there and found you when I did..."

"I'm not afraid of death..."

"That's what they all say."

I forced myself to look at him now. A young man, black hair and glasses it seemed, but these glasses were too dark for anyone to see through. Also, such strange clothes he wore. "Who are you?" I had to keep asking questions. It kept my mind off the pain that pulled my entire body into 'The land of pain and suffering,' as this person called it.

"Personally, I thought that was the first question you'd ask...I'm Fuuma."

"Why did you save me?"

"Well, Yuuko-san asked me to, and even if she hadn't, you looked so pathetic and lost. Just like him when that boy took his eye..." The man smiled gently at me, personally I wanted to strangle him for calling me pathetic, but it was true. I was pathetic. Lost? Not so much, but pathetic? Yes.

"You met Yuu...Fai?" I had to remind myself that Yuui had stolen my name when he left, I no longer had a name in this or any other world. Yuui had to give me a name back...who knew how long it would be until I saw him again and received my name, or if I would ever see him again at all.

"Yeah. Nice guy, lost, pathetic, emotional, but a good person. He means well."

A small smile crept over my lips despite the pain. "I know."

In the distance a sound went off and this 'Fuuma' looked up. "Okay, we'll be leaving here shortly. You go back to sleep now okay? Not to spoil your fun game of questionnaire, but it's late, when we leave it'll be easier to travel with you if you're asleep, also I'd say you're about to develop quite a nasty fever...so sleeping through it is about the best thing you can do okay?"

"Yeah...sure...magic is beyond my reach right now so..."

Fuuma laughed. "Yeah, when you wake up it'll be back."

I closed my eyes. "Good, then this pain will fucking stop." The last thing I heard was Fuuma's laugh.

* * *

My eyes opened. I was not awake...the pain had subsided slightly, but the pain that had left had been replaced by an aching...I decided it would be best to just forget I'd woken up and go back to sleep. I was too fogged up in my mind to really think of anything else... 

Before I could fall asleep I heard a small sob on top of me. I turned my head slightly, what was that thing? A white rabbit? It looked like a really weird white rabbit...but it was sobbing. I didn't like that.

I reached out and picked it up, curling it in my arms under the blankets I was now under. It buried it's head into my chest and began to mumble something incoherent as I began to fall asleep once again.

* * *

I'm warm. My head is clear. I feel heavy weight on top of me, the weight is the same all over my body. I was laying in a bed. I had probably been laying in this bed the last time I woke up as well, but I hadn't realized it. The weight was blankets. 

I shifted slightly and a sound of discomfort left my lips. My body curled into a fetal position even though that only made it hurt more. I shook, I still couldn't feel my magic at my fingertips, I was still powerless to heal myself. I felt a hand on my back. Fuuma maybe? I didn't open my eyes to look, and after a moment a voice spoke. "You should stay still. You're still in bad shape..."

My eyes snapped open and I tried to look at the person, but he was behind me, "Y-Yuui?!" Could it really be him! Was he really right behind me after all this time?

"Yes. Fai..." I could just see him shake his head at me, but I knew my vision was incorrect since he still had two eyes in my mind. I couldn't imagine him with only one, I didn't even know which eye he had lost. That made it even harder for me to picture, and please, let us not forget that the pain didn't exactly help. "How long has it been for you?"

"Many years...I stopped counting after ten." I answered truthfully, not trying to guilt-trip him or anything, but it was the truth. I had stopped counting after that.

His hand tensed on my back and then gently pulled away. "I'm sorry...I didn't realize it had been that long for you. It's only been a couple years at most for me...You must hate me."

I struggled for a minute, but then managed to ignore the pain long enough so that I could turn over and look at him. He was very different from what I remembered...longer hair that was probably a little longer than even mine, but unlike mine he had bound it in a small ponytail and he wore a black eye-patch over his left eye. He wore clothes similar to what I remember Fuuma wearing, except that were all black. They were so very different from the clothes Celes handed out. Even more different than anything else was that his face did not hold a smile on it. No, a frown circled his face now. "No...I could never hate you Yuui..."

A small smile traced along his lips for a moment and he reached out brushing some of my hair from my eyes. "I'm glad. I don't know what I would do if you rejected me as well..."

"So...why can't I heal myself?"

Yuui's smile disappeared. "When Fuuma brought you in he said there was a spell that restricted just your healing, but we've found that you can't use any magic at all..."

"That's bad..."

"I have a theory though. Your body is using all the spare energy to heal you...thus no magic, not until you're healthy again. It's all I can think of that seems logical." Yuui sat on the edge of the bed. "What happened anyway? For you to get in this state..."

"I...tried to get your eye back."

I made another acking noise as I felt the back of Yuui's hand collide with the back of my head. "No! Bad! Never do that again! You could have been killed! Think about it, if he could almost kill me...you should have run Fai."

"He would have gotten me anyway." I curled into an even smaller ball so I could see my knees. I concentrated on a small piece of lint that was on my pants.

Yuui sighed. "You're right. He would have." His hand an up and down my back gently. "I'm glad you're alive. What happened after I left?"

"I failed you." I bit my lip. He didn't say anything, apparently just waiting for me to continue. "I couldn't heal him. In only a manner of weeks after you left, he woke up and said we'd wait for you. For a while we did, since Ashura, Chii, and I were the only ones there it was okay for a while..."

"But he got worse?"

"Yes, none of my spells worked...In the end he told me to kill him...he even threatened to kill Chii and me if I didn't agree."

"But you're a sage! A healer! You can't kill!"

"Apparently even I can hold a knife..."

There was a long pause. "Was it that knife that Fuuma gave us? He said you were holding onto it as if it were a precious gem when he found you half dead."

"Probably...I never really touched any other knife than that one..." I paused for a moment to think of what else I wanted to ask...a million things came to mind, but one thing prevailed over the others as most important. "What about Chii? Fuuma didn't bring her did he?"

"No. He couldn't have. The clone would have gone directly to her after he thought he had disposed of you...there is no way she could have survived."

"Why would that clone have done for her? I sent her out before he came..."

Yuui shook his head at me, his face solemn. "Did he mention to you that he was after feathers?"

I closed my eyes and looked back into my memories, after a moment I remembered, "Yes. It was one of the very last things he said. He also said that he needed to get something all back, no matter what."

Yuui lightly rubbed my back as if to comfort me. "Yes. Before I explain what happened with Chii I will explain what this is all about. About the clone, about this journey, about anything you can question."

I nodded slightly and closed my eyes to listen. "All right."

"Along with myself, there are three other people traveling. Kurogane, who wants to go back to his home world. Sakura-chan, who needs to get all her lost memories back. Lastly Syaoran-kun, who is helping Sakura-chan to get these memories." He stopped speaking for a dreadfully long moment. "The clone was a clone of Syaoran. Up until the time I lost my eye to the clone, we were traveling with the clone and not the original. Up until I lost my eye to the clone, the clone had half of the original's heart. When the spell that kept that heart there broke, he took my eye and half my magic. He then left to the feathers on his own."

It wasn't until his second pause that I realized that his voice had been lulling me to sleep. I shook my head slightly to wake myself up. "Why feathers?"

"I was getting to that. Sakura-chan's memories were scattered over many, many worlds and we were and are searching for those memories. These memories are found in the form of feathers."

Yuui put his other hand to my lips to prevent me from asking another question. "A long time ago I created a living, breathing girl from one of Sakura-chan's memories. I named the girl Chii and gave her to my beloved brother so that he might learn how to be happy." He stopped now and took his hand away from my mouth so that I could speak.

"So he killed Chii for the memory feather at her core?"

"Yes."

I bit my lip and shook my head. I had always known that clones were soulless, but I had never realized how soulless one could be. To be able to kill Chii without a second thought...I considered myself pretty soulless and not even I could have harmed Chii with a knife, or otherwise. "Yuui?"

"Yes Fai?"

"Where are we now?"

"This is a world called Infinity." Suddenly Yuui's hand pressed down on my shoulder to keep me in place. A second later, the door opened. "Ah, Fuuma. Is it all prepared?"

"Yep. She accepted your price. Once your twin is healed it'll be done. I think he'll like it there, seeing as Celes was so empty." Fuuma's voice held a laugh behind it.

Once more Yuui put his hand over my mouth to keep me from speaking. "I think so too."

"Also Kurogane says it's almost time for you four to go to "chess.""

"Ah. Thank you. Could you tell him I'll be out in a minute?"

"All right." I could hear Fuuma's footsteps leave the room and the hand moved out of the way.

After a long bout of silence Yuui spoke again. "I obviously cannot keep my promises to you right now. I cannot take you with me, and I cannot give you your name back."

"What will my name be then? Where will I go?"

"The place you will go has been arranged, but it is a surprise...as to your name, I promise I will give you one before you leave. Now. I must go before Kurogane comes and yells. Try to rest some more. Heal some more." He stood to his feet and went to the door, I could feel him stare at me for what seemed like forever before the door clicked shut behind him.

* * *

"All right then, come on." Fuuma pulled at my arm and I pulled back, I didn't want to leave just yet. 

"Not until I say good-bye to Fai." Fuuma smiled, but sighed as he let go of my arm, I sat on the ground and from within my few belongings I pulled Iiraina out and began to fiddle with it. Fuuma had in fact brought the dagger with him...which I found pleasing, almost calming. Just turning it over in hands again and again was enough to entertain me for almost twenty minutes...it might have entertained me longer if I hadn't heard a familiar voice call out to me.

"I knew you wouldn't leave without good-bye." I smiled slightly and pulled myself to my feet before me stood Yuui...no, stood 'Fai' still dressed all in black.

"Of course not. How could I be so cruel?"

"Yes, and I have a gift for you..." He came forward and turned my head to one side, he whispered a single word into my ear and my smile widened. "I thought that would be a good name for you. My gift to you while you wait for me to fulfill my promises. Do you like it?"

"I love it. It suits me so well, don't you think?"

"Yes." Fai hugged me tightly. "Be well in your new home. Don't do anything stupid."

"Of course not, you were always the emotional one. I'm the one that thinks."

Fai shook his head. "Right...just keep thinking that..." I laughed as Fuuma grabbed onto my arm and I felt some kind of magic activate to take us wherever we'd be going. I just watched as 'Fai's' face disappeared in front of my eyes.

We would meet again. I was sure of it.


	6. Chapter 6

A//N: I know it's extremely sad to see this story end, but it's ending this chapter. No more posts for it will be made.

However, on the bright side of things this chapter you get to find out what happened to our dear and lovely healer Fai, such as where he went, what he became, and what his brother named him at the end of the last chapter. Fun! You also get to find out what the parts in italics were all about.

So please, since this is the last chapter, review and tell me how you liked it. Thank you. Enjoy.

* * *

_The door opened. A woman with black hair accompanied by a bleached streak walked into the room and closed the door behind her. As she looked at the scene in front of her she sighed and pushed her round glasses up on the bridge of her nose._

_She walked away from the door and when her footsteps stopped she stood in front of a bed. Within the bed there lay a blond man. This was all you could tell about the person because he lay on his stomach underneath the blanket. You could not see his face at all, but even so he looked pretty comfortable._

_The woman sighed deeply again and reached out, quickly pulling the blanket off the body. "Yuui! Wake up!"_

I hadn't heard what the voice said really. All I had realized was that the warmth was suddenly gone and a familiar voice had yelled, thus waking me up. I groaned and pulled my body up into a ball and turned on my side. My eyes remained shut. "Hmmm?"

"Yuui. Wake up! Everyone else has been up for at least an hour!"

I opened one of my blue eyes to look at the person in front of me. It was Satsuki...figures. Everyone else would just let me sleep, but her? No...it didn't matter that I'd only gone to sleep four hours before... "I really don't want to."

There was a long pause in which I knew Satsuki glared at me with an intense hate. "Okay...I'll tell the injured downstairs that your sleep in more important than their lives..."

I sat straight upright the instant she said that and grabbed at her cloak, pulling her forward. "Don't even kid me about that! Are there really injured people downstairs?!"

Satsuki smirked, "No, but it woke you up."

I growled at her and let go of her cloak. "Don't joke about that!" I snatched the blanket from her hands. "Really Satsuki, you could have stopped my heart with that!"

"You are not going back to sleep Yuui..."

"No, I'm not, thank you so very much, but now I am too paranoid to go back to sleep...I'm going to go scout." I stood up and began to fix the bed. It didn't take much, just a couple folds and tucks and it was done.

"You should eat something first..."

I waved my hand at her childishly. "I gave up food two weeks ago, it takes up too much time, and besides it does wonders for my figure."

"Now you're the one who's joking..."

"Yes. However I am serious that it takes up too much time. I'll head out now and eat later...and I'm borrowing your hovercraft." I walked past her and she grabbed at my sweater causing me to make a choking sound and to be pulled back.

"If you're not eating then you're wearing both your shoes and your cloak."

I contemplated this for a moment. I could eat...which would take up time that I would have already been spending sleeping if Satsuki hadn't woken me up...Or I could put on my shoes and cloak for once and then take the shoes off when I wasn't on Satsuki shoe radar. In the end I chose the latter of the two options. Truthfully the only reason I didn't wear both shoes and a cloak most of the time was because I was still so used to Celes weather that I literally overheat every time I wear both. I remembered even passing out once from it.

I weighed the possibilities and then sighed. "Fine, shoes and cloak." Satsuki seemed very pleased by this and I ran from the room grabbing my cloak as I went, my shoes already on my feet.

It's been five years since I had left Celes, taken on the name of Sorcerer Yuui that had been given to me by my brother the magician called 'Fai', and come to the world called Tokyo...or as I called it in my mind Acid Tokyo. It had been four years since I had been accepted here as a person and not a strange object. It had been three years since I had been calling many of the shots on the restoration in the world. It had been a year since the major projects had started...

I was the only person with a major magic talent. Kakyou has a talent, I knew that. I knew that Kakyou could see in dreams, but it was not so much magic as a psychic ability. As a healer I have very limited psychic abilities, but all these do is make my thinking process faster and my decisions logical in accordance to my power...it is what makes me stop when I try to harm something...but I can do nothing like Kakyou can.

Speaking of Kakyou...

"Going with shoes this time?"

I laughed and nodded. "Satsuki convinced me to...you be careful, okay Kakyou-kun?"

"Of course...oh!" His soft voice became an octave higher as he reached out to me as if I were within his arms reach. "Yuui-san. I think I saw something in my dream that is of importance to you. I'm sorry, I saw it a couple days ago...I've been meaning to tell you..."

"Can you hold onto it for a little longer Kakyou-kun?" I reached out and let a little of my healer's energy flow from me to him. Kakyou wasn't sickly or weak, but he could always use the help my energy gave him. He smiled as I knew the energy warmed him inside. "I'm a little busy...I promise to find you right after I come back though...I'm afraid that if I stay any longer Nekoi-chan will give me something to do...like hunting."

"Ah. I know, even with your special dagger that's difficult for you...go on. I'll remember it for a little while longer." He smiled, "I'll just forget to tell Satsuki-san that you're going to take off your shoes."

I smiled and took his still outstretched hand. I had learned to smile just for him. In this world he was my best friend. He reminded me greatly of 'Fai' and Chii. I wanted to please him...I loved him as if he were my own family and I wanted him to love me back in some way. "Thank you!"

"Of course Yuui-san..."

I frowned, "How many times must I tell you, call me -kun! You don't need to be so polite with me!"

Kakyou laughed softly and closed his eyes...well probably his eyes, he always had one eye covered by his pale hair. "I'm sorry"

"Don't be sorry, just stop with the keigo. You're my friend!"

Kakyou sighed and squeezed my fingers. "Trust me, you're my friend too Yuui-kun."

I grinned wider and let go of his hand. "Good to know...now I really have to go."

"Of course." I ran from the building and grabbed a hovercraft. I jumped on it and zoomed off before anyone else could stop me.

The outside looked very different from what it had been when I first came here and what it was when 'Fai' and his group was here. There was still a great deal of wreckage, but it was growing smaller and smaller. Around the Diet building it was clean, and for almost a half mile outward it was clean. Everyday that it wasn't raining people were out here cleaning.

It was a long way from being done, but it was a great improvement from what I remembered. Soon I figured that we'd be able to reuse all the stone that had fallen to start building shelters that would not be so easily destroyed by the acid rain. I hoped.

The acid rain was no longer strong enough to melt skin, but it was still strong enough to redden it if you stood out in it for too long. I would not yet recommend drinking it, but I think we're only a few years away from that. If that much.

"Yuui-san!" I stopped the hovercraft knowing that I did not have the heart to ignore the person who called to me. I felt cloth brush up against my own cloak and I looked beside me. It was Nekoi...I should have known from the voice. "Yuui-san! Look!" The girl held something up to my face and I had to pull away from the scent of wet earth.

As I got far enough away from the object to see it I gasped and grabbed onto her wrists grinning, "Plant life!" I made a sound that not even I could identify aside from the fact that it was extremely pleased. "This is wonderful! Is this all you found?"

Nekoi shook her head no. "I found a whole patch back over that way!" She pointed and I let out a contented sigh.

"Do you mind if I take this sample then? I want to do a little testing later..." I needed to find out how resilient to the acid it was...to be able to grow at all said it was strong, but how strong?

She just nodded and gave me the plant which I placed in a small pouch I had at one side of me...the pouch had once contained a healing powder, but I had used the lavender substance almost a year ago now... "Good luck with the rest of your day Nekoi."

"You too Yuui-san!" She waved to me as I hovered off...I now figured that I should visit the lake...it was a long way away from here, but it was the only body of water that I could evaluate within twenty miles.

After about a half hour I got there and hopped off the craft to sat on the ground by the water's edge. I pulled off my shoes and discarded them lazily to one side before I simply shoved my feet in the water. "One, two, three, four..." I steadily counted the numbers higher and higher until I felt the water start to burn...that was when I pulled them out. 145...that was how far I got until the water started to burn.

I checked my feet over and was very pleased with the results. No blisters. Never had I ever stuck my feet in this lake and not pulled them out without finding numerous blisters on my feet from abusing them so. I was glad. This world was not as empty as Celes had been but it's land was distraught and I had been able to help it...even if it had only been a little. I felt useful for the first time in my life in this land.

After a few minutes of staring out over the lake I stood to my feet and clumsily put my shoes back on. I then jumped back on the hovercraft and flew off again surveying the area all around until I got back within the half mile around the Diet building that had been cleared. I then heard a cry and turned that way. "What happened?!" I cried as I got within the sight of a few workers. I jumped off the hovercraft and put my hand to my mouth as I smelled the familiar scent of blood reach my nose. I guess I've become even more affected by blood since Ashura's death and my own near death experience, it was one of the few smells I really couldn't stand.

"A rock fell from higher up and it nicked him!" It was more than just a knick, but a minor injury in comparison to what it could have been. I knew that and was grateful for 'a knick.'

I forced the hand away from my mouth as I nodded. "Okay. Be glad it was only a knick and nothing worse!" I came forward and pulled the pant leg back from the wound I knew was there. I frowned. "He's to go inside after this for the rest of the day. Understand?" I looked to his crewmembers and they nodded.

I took a deep breath and held out two fingers. Illuminated lettering came off them at a quick pace and set themselves into the wound causing it to close and seem to turn. "How does it feel?"

"Much better..."

"Good." I stood to my feet and offered a hand to the man. "Even so I could not reach the complete depths of it with such a simple spell...it'll be fine by tomorrow, but go inside now and rest. You can do delivery inside, but that's it. You need to be on a level surface."

"Understood Yuui-san. Thank you." I was glad to get the thank you. I knew that even with the best medical treatment in other worlds that a wound like that would have probably taken a week to heal without skills such as mine.

"Come on. I'll take you back on the hovercraft. I'm going back to the Diet building myself." We went back together, and apart from that the trip was thankfully uneventful.

"Go on inside now..."

"Yuui-kun!" I turned around and before I could see anything I felt someone grab onto my wrist and pull weakly. "Yuui-kun, my dream, it's here already!"

"What is it Kakyou-kun? What did you see? Is it good? Is it bad?" I looked to Kakyou's face and he was smiling brightly behind his calm, calm eyes.

"I think it's something you'll love! It's important, please, hurry!" He pulled and pulled at me until I came along with him at last. He pulled me along up and up the stairs of the building until he came to the door that was the door to the room that I slept in. "In there. I'll...go now."

"No Kakyou-kun, you can stay."

The pale man shook his head. "No. You'll want to be alone with this...thing." He smiled. "You can tell me about it later." He ran off before I could stop him. I frowned, wondering deeply what it could possibly be. He said it wasn't bad, but what could be so good that it made him leave me alone to face it?

I supposed the only way to find out was to open the door and see what was inside. I reached out and turned the doorknob. As I opened the door I saw nothing at first that was out of place on the bed...except that I was sitting on my bed. No. It wasn't me. "Fai?" I stepped inside the room and in a lower tone whispered. "Yuui?"

The person on the bed opened his eyes and smiled at me. Two eyes, he'd gotten it back...they were different colors now, but it didn't matter. My hands went to my face as tears threatened to leave my eyes and roll down my face in happiness. It was him. I knew it was him, there was no way it wasn't!

He got up and walked toward me in a slow, but elegant manner. When he was close enough to me I felt his arms wrap around me tightly and as I hugged him back he whispered in my ear, "Yes Fai. It's me."


End file.
